Growing pot in the 1980s : Secret Gardens (1988) - The Fifth Estate

In 1988 Bob McKeown looks at how hydroponic gardening techniques made indoor marijuana cultivation a lucrative business for many Canadians.
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About the fifth estate : For four decades The Fifth Estate has been Canada's premier investigative documentary program. Hosts Bob McKeown, Gillian Findlay and Mark Kelley continue a tradition of provocative and fearless journalism. the fifth estate brings in-depth investigations that matter to Canadians - delivering a dazzling parade of political leaders, controversial characters and ordinary people whose lives were touched by triumph or tragedy.

[@SirCommoner]

0:23 It's hilarious to see the officer appreciating the weed so much

[@jinlim6575]

that cop needs to be in jail...crime against humanity...he probabably sold it all to his freemason buddies...

[@kermylu1]

@@jinlim6575 how do you know he’s a mason?

[@Anonymous_________]

No, someone's life is about to end, because that plant was cared for so well.

[@SirCommoner]

hot poat hot potato yeeeeeeee

[@austinadams1837]

He probably was ready to smoke some

[@marcelgowa]

these men were our pioneers, we would not be where we at without people staying rebelious and kept growing the lovely plant.

[@BigSnakey2]

That bud looks really good for being grown 30+ years ago.

[@frankievonbraunsberg378]

Lol bc weed was better back in the day believe it or not

[@frankievonbraunsberg378]

You can find outdoors back in the day that blow away indoors from today

[@English_Lessons_Pre-Int_Interm]

@@frankievonbraunsberg378 what strains, please?

[@caryptic6684]

@@frankievonbraunsberg378lol that’s a classic old head thing to say. I wouldn’t necessarily say it was better back then but there was definitely more sought after effects such as euphoria and giggles, and some terpenes were most likely changed from the 70s, I’ve heard people say that the 70s weed wasn’t high in thc, but was high in certain terpene giving more desirable effects, instead of the high thc low terpenes flower we got today, it’s too much of a intense high, for some people at least.

[@Habitt5253]

@@English_Lessons_Pre-Int_Interm Colombian, Hawaiian, Thai, Mexican, Jamaican. Those are but a few of the strains of yesteryear that can still be found if you look. All those genetics are going to be a MINIMUM of $100 a pack and if you get the GOOD stuff, get ready to pay $250+ for a pack of seeds. Colorado Sativas sells S1's of popular Snowhigh Seeds(remember those $250+ prices? Thats them.) for $25 a pack. But you have to send cash for the beans.

[@karl532]

Man this was a scary one. Watching all those plants die....so upsetting!

[@bassheadforeverclub2118]

Exactly my thoughts too

[@Skullfireranch]

Been cultivating since 1974 it's a lifestyle

[@jaymay3880]

Yes sir

[@skatemetal5062]

Hay has weed gotten better or worse since then . The old timers always say weed in the 70s was so much better but testing and pictures I can find say it was worse. I'd like to hear from someone who knows .

[@gizzardgizzard3583]

@@skatemetal5062 it was way worse then lol. however LSD was better back then

[@jessicafitoo]

Much respect to the OGs

[@rockonrockcity8940]

“May I be filmed in the shadows to obscure my identity?” Producers: Nah this mustache will do

[@briggs5569]

better put on these glasses to just to be safe

[@Yehoshua1278]

Might even have a wig

[@jeffalbillar7625]

Thx for the giggles

[@FreshDeath1385]

A terrible hairpiece

[@ENigma-um8zw]

He was running late for that Beastie Boys video

[@MrK-wu7ci]

32 years ago... 09:17 1988 strains from The Seed Bank catalogue: Hash Plant/Northern Lights #1 F-1 G-13 X Hash Plant F-1 hybrid

[@DrFaust-pr8vw]

back then those genetics were still pure and solid!!!!! I'd love to have one of those old catalogs to look through

[@zurkxees4992]

@@DrFaust-pr8vwseriously

[@WeTrustInBando]

@@DrFaust-pr8vwI have smoked northern lights in Canada that been being duped for 30 years and grown better

[@jamesbillingsby8043]

A time where every plant had unique qualities and wasn't just sweet.

[@zurkxees4992]

@@jamesbillingsby8043 I’ve had some strains the dispo calls old school and the flavor is unmatched to the buds now it was almost nutty and skunky , sweet bud is yummy but it gets old after a while lol

[@nsls8223]

That's crazy, the Canadian government/police were growing marijuana. I know the Sergeant was smoking can't fool me.

[@skeeterclovis7163]

Sargent stadanko got canned for turning into a lizard and relocated apparently

[@inrotation_ts]

Yea he's sweating alot lol looks guilty

[@RosinDaddy5280]

​@@skeeterclovis7163😂😂😂😂😂 his Smoke Gun

[@myownidenity4955]

11:35 The Government sucks at doing absolutely everything

[@JohnDoe-cd6ro]

I'm 34. It's crazy to think that I and everyone before me essentially grew up in a new prohibition era. It's now completely legal in my state and I smell it everywhere now and see it out in the open almost everyday. I can't believe it. I also envy the youth never having to swallow a blunt or having to be paranoid of flashing lights from a car. It kind of bothers me to be honest.

[@adamganjaman2275]

Yeah we got screwed and I still am getting screwed to this day kept it lit

[@Mr.Helper.]

Swallow a blunt .. 😂😂😂

[@JohnDoe-cd6ro]

@@Mr.Helper. Yes. We swallowed blunts .

[@MS19891]

Same! Im 35 growing in Maine

[@markbauer3937]

I wonder what he would think if he teleported to today when it's both medically and recreationally legal.....at least here? His mind would be blown. He's a victim of Reefer Madness through and through.

[@infinite8382]

tell him to come visit australia, were still living in the 1970s!! :/

[@English_Lessons_Pre-Int_Interm]

@@infinite8382 but you have psilocybes now!!!

[@420troll4]

lol, what a difference 30 years makes. i legally grew 10lbs in my backyard in 2020.

[@phanx0m924]

😜😜😜 wonderful

[@420troll4]

@Not Expat Joe i guess there aren't as many retards in my town? i mean, i find some seeds in my plants each year but nothing to cry about. don't have enough space inside to grow a years supply in one harvest.

[@Nice-ck7rq]

No you didn't.

[@420troll4]

@@Nice-ck7rq yeah, you're right. cool story, bro.

[@minibikemadman]

yup wild. i run 10 monsters outdoors here in Massachusetts every year.

[@whogotasprite587]

22% IN THE 80'S!!!! WTF LOL

[@Jokerz3]

who got a sprite?! landrace is 20%

[@onioncontrol]

Must've been good grass

[@trayvonjackson4830]

Most weed in the 80’s was 16%, but some strains where as high as 24%.

[@jejrhriktntndkkwnrjriths1510]

Most weed in the 80’s was thrash

[@ocdemon8999]

@@Jokerz3 landrace grown in a colder climate is 10-12%

[@jejrhriktntndkkwnrjriths1510]

They literally guided peoples how to do it and encourage by saying 49 out of 50 goes unnoticed 😅

[@jf13579]

These growers were some of the real ones

[@onioncontrol]

I have a hard time believing grass was $10k a kilo in the 80s.

[@demitreez]

well you're not buying it so it makes sense why it's hard for you to believe

[@mikemhoon]

There ain’t no way a pound was $5000!

[@ashantifarmer5246]

Exactly!!!! Definitely not!

[@peckerpeter2078]

A VHS player was $800.00 new in the U.S.A. 1987, so I believe it.. higher the risk the higher the price supply and demand.

[@MrSuperG]

If 8th of cannabis was 20 pounds then it be about 2500 a 🔑 in the 90s so the late 80s could of been 8 , 9000 k but hard to believe still.

[@mozarkie944]

I miss the northern lights and white widow from back then 👍

[@DrFaust-pr8vw]

white widow didn't exist back when this came out lol

[@kledus420smith8]

I miss the old Afghani and the real thai sticks also the hash 😢

[@DrFaust-pr8vw]

@@kledus420smith8 Afghani landraces are my favorite for medical usage, so I can only imagine what it must have been like back then. I have, however, had legit hash from North Africa

[@lootbird]

@@DrFaust-pr8vw genetics have only gotten better dude. Just cause the one you used to like is different doesn’t mean that there aren’t new strains that are even better. Not always. Gotta search

[@kledus420smith8]

@@lootbird i hear you but some say the old strains grown by today's growers just knock it out the park. pure unique landrace turpenes thc levels are 25+thc on some landraces

[@secrethydromicrogrow420]

I love how this guy talks about metal halides and not high pressure sodium he knows how too grow fire 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥

[@mikeybeausgrows]

That cop new hood bud when he saw it. He smoked for sure

[@nsls8223]

Without a doubt 👌

[@lostghost101]

that mustache is all part of an elaborate disguise?

[@GOOCHIElicker]

No thats what he really looked like

[@ydoic1111]

"Oh man! Looks at these beautiful sticky buds! Smell awesome!"...call me crazy but if I had to guess cheef loves to cheef on his days off

[@RzRipper]

That one reporter always talking about how beautiful the budz are lol. How times have changed.

[@MysTeri0usMatT7]

Man yo I bet the skunkus was out of this world back then in the great 8s

[@itsrelativ3967]

that guy's mustache makes me paranoid.

[@anthonybalanuik617]

Lol

[@richardwilliams3497]

Oh if they could see Canada today 💨

[@Wide_leaf_indica710]

They say its virtually impossible to detect, its soo dangerous tho! Lmao so dangerous u can't even find it. 💀 it has nothing to do with weed being good or bad, its all about money! Thats why they don't want people doin it.

[@ronb3913]

I really like this video. Thank you

[@fauxfox7209]

no fun allowed

[@coolshirt]

cannabis being illegal makes it a game. everyone loves weed. to smoke, to eat the leafs, just look at, enjoying crossing it for terps, supplying medical to the industry.. there are so many things you can do with the plant

[@Cobalt985]

This is CBC, as in Canada Broadcasting Corporation. It's federally legal here

[@chucktouchton398]

"What a beauty" *Rips up plants and arrests homeowner.

[@whogotasprite587]

"3,500 a pound" lmaoooo

[@cprz82]

who got a sprite?! All day long back then

[@shanescatsandcannabisfarm2965]

With inflation thats like $10,000 a lp!

[@GOOCHIElicker]

That's 218.75 an ounce

[@smokeyhigh3126]

Hydroponic means grown " without soil" could be water, or Rockwool, peatmoss, hydroton, perlite, vermiculite, river rock, or whatever ! Its not ONLY water to be considered Hydroponic !

[@HardlineFeminists]

*Ok Karen.*

[@djSpinege]

36 years later and now that cop is growing his own in his garage instead of stealing it.

[@bfouroh]

2:29 is exactly how I correlate everything to help others understand where I'm getting at

[@cymbolichuman433]

In Nevada, it's legal and some people enjoy the growing process. Happy 1st of July!

[@Pcpguy]

cool.

[@donaldpepera2928]

I grew in the 80s and am living in a grow house now.

[@08ds]

Cervantes, as in Jorge Cervantes' bible can be seen at 8:41

[@sergior8667]

08ds 😂

[@ericpaulson8213]

Jorge cervantes haha I know your old like me haha

[@kyleyoung9610]

I’m 34 and his grow bible is how I learned

[@doggfriendly]

And sgt Abbott from the RCMP you should have topped those plants and spread the branches out horizontal as possible to make the most of your light. I know this advise is almost 35 years too late but electric bills these days you almost have to do some topping/tying down or cropping these babies into bushes.

[@RuskiTroll]

great piece of history fotage

[@mrman8868]

That disguise is just beautiful. He must have evaded the law for years in that thing.

[@ramblingrootscamp]

Oh the good old days!

[@meezerpocalypse6651]

is Tom still in costume? 😆

[@myownidenity4955]

In the early and mid 2000s I had a line on BC dro.

[@MattIsLoling]

"oh yeah nice buds" you know this man smoked some of the bud he seizes lmao

[@drcannabis420]

30 years ago and not much has changed. With Canada's legalization (Bill C-45) there even more new laws to lock Canadians up for cannabis in 2018.

[@420troll4]

bruh, that's a distortion and half truth. i grew over 10lbs in my backyard in 2020 with no worries what-so-ever.

[@jasonhoward54]

It was wild smelling all the weed in my friends garage and there was a raid up the street with tons of police cars... The 80s

[@Grass1981]

Wow that bud looked dank... I wounder what strain it was.

[@tcorourke2007]

8:35 Are there any books that cannot be bought "over the counter"?

[@Firstlast-po8nv]

Lol Right?

[@Rastafarianinja]

Even the cop said the weed was beautiful lmao

[@Rastafarianinja]

Also most heroin addicts don’t have the wherewithal to grow weed, particularly good weed. Most of the people growing good weed are stoners themselves

[@ashantifarmer5246]

He was hype about them plants!

[@MarvinMonroe]

In the 90s, nuggets were 50/100 bucks for eigths/quarters. Sometimes 60/120. Ounces were 300 or 350

[@yearginclarke]

In my area it was usually 50 an 8th for good quality "green bud" as we called it back then. On occasion you would get a strain name, but usually the better quality weed was simply called green bud.

[@skatemetal5062]

This is funny . now here in Canada everyone can have 4 plants. i know 3 people on my block including my self that are growing in are back yards legally .

[@noneedh2249]

@Jimmy Joseph still white for now outside Toronto

[@noneedh2249]

@Jimmy Joseph stfu moron

[@D13fs]

not everyone, depends what province you're in.

[@jodannoel4306]

Yea those cops is definitely gonna smoke that ish lmao 🤣 😂 😆

[@ocdemon8999]

they have this additude of "ok weve definitely lost now why not have some fun"

[@22Catch22]

All the comments with regard to 80s prices: 1 oz lid was 60 bucks, quarter lbs were around 200 bucks and full lbs were around 500 bucks. The really good stuff could fetch $100 an oz. and lbs would touch a grand. Stuff like Guatemalan Blonde, Acapulco Gold, Sensimilla or Maui Wowie. I have no idea how this would compare to today's stuff...haven't smoked or even seen any for 35 years.

[@Annie-ZA]

LEGALIZE for Heaven's sake! ~Durban ~ South Africa~ xox

[@anthonybalanuik617]

Durban ,a personal favorite 🇨🇦

[@BiLdoEMcLown]

Why is it that I could only find brick weed back then? This stuff looks almost as good as the grass at the dispensary. I wouldn't have to spend an hour breaking it up and pulling out beans and branches.

[@itsrelativ3967]

Better genetics.

[@BiLdoEMcLown]

@@itsrelativ3967 that doesn't explain the unavailability... these strains were impossible to find in my area... the ONLY weed we could get was the brick.

[@SenpaiDeoxys]

@@BiLdoEMcLown because this product is way more expensive and a lot of the time isnt being sold in bulk. whereas you can pick up 3 pounds of thai or jamaican (which is "like a brick" because its poorly grown outdoors, dried and pressed) for cheap, sell at a good price and still make a great profit.

[@BiLdoEMcLown]

@@SenpaiDeoxys still doesn't explain why I never once found it. It was straight brick until the b c buds hit in the late 90s... at least in Minnesota. Location probably has a bit to do with it too.

[@superglou913gomez3]

Back in the day where I lived,you either had to know someone who grew or someone who knew someone. Also I remember people being super stingy with it.

[@jackson5279]

I wondering if this guy is still growing now

[@paulb9376]

and now here we are 2023, Pots legal in NY and many other states! never thought I see the day, its all about $$$

[@TerpsNtacos]

Now growers are happy to catch 35 a unit. Amazing after all these years how the economics evolved

[@OldDogNewTricksJoey]

Heart breaking

[@davidmotlagh9779]

I grow it in a cloth pot of dirt in my closet. I use led lights and I get about 3 to 4 ounces every 90 days

[@davidmotlagh9779]

@liberal halfbreeds in a 2x2 tent?

[@davidmotlagh9779]

@Not Expat Joe wish I had the $ to run a 1000 watt light, but we're low budget...

[@davidmotlagh9779]

@Not Expat Joe I got a 2x2 tent in the closet, I'm not dealing with a lot of feet square...

[@davidmotlagh9779]

@Not Expat Joe don't get me wrong, it's just getting 4 ounces in a 2x2 is tricky. It's hard to imagine 2 lbs in my tent...;-)

[@jeffambrose5244]

I wonder what strain it was it looked fire

[@adamhayden5152]

Ha I’m watching this in 2024 smoking a bowl of my own home grown from a closed loop hydro in a tent next to my bed! Purple gorilla. Its yum! Got some tropical cooler going now!

[@timtheinvader646]

Keep growing yall I just started some seeds today these are the pioneers for all of us the real gurus. This is allah’s favorite plant

[@IHWKR]

Absolute insanity why this plant isn't federally legal. There is litterally no argument against this plant that would justify it's illegality.

[@spaceman83]

Yeah today with all the legal states in the US and Canada not everyone who grows sells it.

[@jeffngarden]

Thanks for teaching me everything 😂😂😂😂

[@danielalvarez5651]

9:01 I am growing tomatoes, peppers, squash, peas, and greens for my kitchen garden. I start them all from seed.

[@Deadlosersgoingtohell]

I grow it all weed pepper tomatoes Basil

[@headysmoke]

If I’ve learned anything from this video, it’s at high times have really lost themselves them how the magazines used to be informational. I can’t even get a Magazine sent to my house. It’s been two months.

[@jasperandjames1589]

I have marijuana drying out in my basement right now lol.

[@erstmalfurimmer3775]

Yes man. Everbody loves it😁

[@NorrisSaiyan]

10 kilos wet I bet lmao

[@phinehasr]

The birth of the BC nogs. Thank you for your service.

[@chedubetcha69]

crazy to think how many families lives were ruined over a harmless plant. The US is such an evil place.

[@ReelX4U]

What to stop these police officers busting a grower in seizing a bag here or bag there for their personal use?

[@waldemarsteiz9277]

just ironically ridiculous to watch this in 2024 :D

[@thedutchman_420]

Nothing like the rush of getting out a run back in the bad old days of prohibition when we purchased it we paid for all that risk ,… it was “baked into” the prices.. funny still paying the same prices now… risk now equals government profits

[@JR-xk1rd]

Beautiful buds he says lol

[@svrsxlt]

That bud looks 🔥 for the 80s fr

[@f_youtubecensorshipf_nazis]

weed was 400 a pound in 1989 and I mean good stuff no one that grows like that is also selling dime bags

[@TripSoup420]

thank you , Biker weed was never 3k-3500, not even now, allegedly.

[@JF-xq6fr]

7:08: $30,000, pay for your house (in Vancouver B.C.)... Hmm, better not live to see today in Canada.

[@deepu6973]

These guys don't know what hydroponics means lol

[@jeromed2]

Pungent skunk spray sniffles I would imagine...It was way too humid in there though in the first otherwise top notch gardan...

[@markkromer1238]

Halide for vegetative and HP Sodium for flowering. 😉🌱

[@ponolovefarms3926]

Good times!

[@tflo9543]

I like "Tom's" disguise. Wig, stache, and glasses!

[@lunarmist428]

legal there now,,,so,,,all that for nothing,,,your whole career was a sham

[@noneedh2249]

Horrible logic, i guess everthing our ancestors did to get us to this point was a failure since they dont reap the rewards..

[@ayemex5444]

So much harm done to people too...shameful

[@elektrosonic]

THC a Hormone :) :) hehehhe really, this is good to watch and see how miss information was and still the problem with WEED

[@tegrity-farms9842]

G13 that was our strain we grew,, 2lbs a plant . duch bucket system

[@claing17]

Lol taking clones doesn't make the bud anymore potent.

[@thedonwesley5279]

Grew pro starting May 1983 the year CAMP started in California Moved indoors 1989 1997 a $250,000 - 1/4 million dollar warrant put out on me for cultivation and sales Laid low in NYC n Rancho Palos Verde for 17 months before starting up again 2007 finely got pulled over did 5 nights in The Twin Towers before riding up to Santa Cruz in chains where charges were dropped in the interest of justice In those 30 years personally grew 80,000 Ganja plants

[@michaelanien6270]

I feel California should be more adamant on Organic ganja as well as see how rehabilitation the herb will do as well as hydrogen water grow as well as plasma treatment curing the herb

[@aaronclark7587]

that did look good

[@roxxypromo]

This is like a Cheech and Chong movie

[@chucktouchton398]

That's just a drip system for nutrients. Hydroponics is grown in a substrate in water... Those plants were in soil.

[@ontariobuds]

It might only look like soil. You can have a soil less mix like promix.

[@AaronThibeault]

22% in 1988, 30% in 2023 💨💨💨😱

[@tegrity-farms9842]

i miss the good money from growing back then...

[@OddWoz]

Look at these criminals harassing good people.

[@Eciv3.14]

What I would give for some of the seeds from back then.

[@jeffdemick8216]

Thc is a hormone ?

[@Ki-yg1ds]

bro put on a mustache glasses and a wig and called it a day. why would he not just turn around or wear a bag when going through all that effort for very little effect

[@GOOCHIElicker]

What do you mean that's what he really looks like